A Midwinter's Nightmare
by denise1
Summary: When half of SG-1 is attacked on an alien planet, it's just the beginning of the story


A Midwinter's Nightmare

By

Denise

Sam hunched her shoulders, even though she knew it really wasn't doing any good. Soaked to the skin was not an exaggeration. Muttering things about the MALP that just might make her father blush; she concentrated on following Teal'c as he led the way back to the stargate. Needless to say, this weather hadn't been predicted. Their mission to P3C386 was supposed to be a simple day trip. There were no real ruins to explore so Daniel and the colonel were charged with going off in one direction to take soil samples, while she and Teal'c went the other way. They were supposed to gather their samples then hike back to the gate, hopefully getting home in time for dinner.

Unfortunately the weather on the planet had other ideas. They'd just arrived at their sample site, a good ten miles from the gate, when the sky had started to darken, heavy clouds billowing up from seemingly nowhere. She and Teal'c had immediately turned and started to retrace their steps, but the weather was faster. A cold, gusty wind preceded a light rain that quickly turned into a heavy downpour. They'd had their ponchos with them, but the wind blown rain seemed to be obsessed with soaking every square inch of their bodies.

Sam was now thoroughly wet and cold, her jaw shaking uncontrollably. She knew Teal'c was just as miserable as she was, she could see it in his hunched shoulders and taciturn expression. Right now, the idea of the SGC and a hot, very, very hot, shower was all that was keeping her going.

Teal'c stopped suddenly and she bumped into his back. "What?"

"We will not make it back to the Stargate," he said.

"What do you mean?" she asked, breathing heavily. Their sample site had been on the other side of a small ridge--one they now needed to climb back up to get to the Stargate located in the valley on the other side.

He stepped aside to allow her to see. The top of the ridge was invisible, shrouded by clouds. "As we climb in altitude, the air is colder. Ice is beginning to fall. It will soon begin to snow, heavily. We will not survive such a trek in wet clothes. We must seek shelter and wait out the storm."

She shook her head. "The colonel, Daniel…"

"Have likely already done the same. If we remain out in the elements, we shall die."

"We didn't bring any tents, and I don't see a Motel Six…"

"On the way to the sample site I believe I saw a cave."

"Can you find it again?"

"Perhaps."

She crossed her arms across her chest under her sodden poncho. Now that they'd stopped moving, the sensation of cold was nearly overwhelming her. "Find it or freeze," she said, her teeth chattering.

He nodded solemnly and turned, reaching out his hand. "It is higher. We must not lose each other."

She took his hand and let him lead her up, into the mist. She could hear the dull patter of sleet hitting her poncho as he led her. The cold sapping her energy by the moment, she no longer surveyed her surroundings like she'd been taught, her eyes instead lowering as she watched her boots take step after step. She could see snow mixing with the sleet, the precipitation slowly turning the ground into an endless sea of white.

The cold dulling her senses as it numbed her body; she barely realized that Teal'c had stopped. "There!" he yelled, raising his voice to be heard over the storm. She followed his pointing hand and squinted, barely able to see the black hole of the cave in the heavy snow. He urged her forward and she reached for her flashlight, sinking down to her knees to crawl in.

She edged forward, fighting claustrophobia. The tunnel was small, barely three feet in diameter. Knowing that it might be warmer farther from the entrance, she kept going, sensing Teal'c following behind her.

Thankfully, it opened up into a chamber and she scooted forward, gratefully sitting up and shining the flashlight around. The chamber wasn't too large, maybe ten feet wide and six feet tall. The walls were rough black stone that glittered in the beam from the light. The floor was smooth with some dark gravel collected in a depression against the wall. "I knew wood would be too much to ask," she muttered, knowing that a fire wouldn't be safe anyway given the miniscule ventilation of the cave.

"It is warm in here," he said, taking off his poncho and leaning his staff weapon against the wall. He had to stoop slightly to keep from hitting his head on the ceiling and for once, Sam was grateful that she wasn't taller.

"It doesn't feel warm." She rubbed her hands together although she wasn't able to feel them.

"It is significantly warmer in here than it should be. Perhaps dry clothing would help." He took off his vest and pack, and then took off his jacket, hanging it from his staff weapon.

"Yeah." She slid her vest off and dug into her pack, grateful for that paranoid instinct that had her pack a pair of pants and t-shirt, even for a short mission. At one time she hadn't even packed a change of uniform unless they were planning to be gone for several days, but given their persistent 'good luck' in getting stuck off world, having a spare change of clothing seemed like a good idea.

She turned her back and quickly changed, laying her sodden jacket across a rock to dry, along with the rest of her uniform. Not in the mood to re-don her soggy boots, she set them aside, settling for just wearing her socks for the time being. She turned and saw that Teal'c had changed as well. "Now what?"

"Now, we shall wait," he said. She nodded, pulling her silvery survival blanket from her pack and making her way over to him. He laid his down on the ground and they sat on it.  She moved towards him and he pulled her down, shifting his legs so she could sit between them. He wrapped her blanket around the pair of them and then wrapped his arms around her, surrounding her in twin sources of warmth.

She leaned back, closing her eyes. She could feel his body heat starting to sink into her back, his warm arms wrapped across her stomach. "It will take many hours for the storm to pass. We should rest while we can." Silently she nodded, the only sound that reached her ears the reassuring thud of his heart and the gentle sound of his breath brushing her ear.

Warm and safe, she nodded off, not even caring that the flashlight was still on.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She awoke some time later, now lying on her side and guessing that Teal'c had moved them while she slept. Her head was pillowed on one arm and she could feel the other lying across her stomach. His even breathing told her that he was asleep. She sighed softly and snuggled into his unconscious embrace. She was actually warm again, his chest like a massive heating pad against her back. Her legs were tangled with his and she wiggled her toes, stretching a bit.

They'd come so close to losing this, losing him. It'd been just a few weeks ago that Apophis had had Teal'c in his thrall again, using the sarcophagus to mess with his mind and turn him against them. Only Bra'tac's desperate use of the Rite of Malsharee had been able to break through the brainwashing and return Teal'c to them.

Teal'c had apologized for his behavior but she knew that it still bothered him. Just like a few months before after they'd rescued him from Heru'ur's captivity; he hated feeling weak and he equated vulnerability with weakness.

She still remembered the haunted look in his eyes, even after half a year. A shadow of remembered humiliation and pain. Although he usually did his best to deny it, quickly hiding it behind his normal calm mask and they all played along. They heard the rumors of occasional cries coming from his quarters in the early hours of the morning. More than once she'd caught his attention straying, his mind lost in a flashback. They all knew about it, but they all ignored it choosing to give him the privacy he needed to deal with his ordeal in his own way.

She knew it had to have been horrible; the wounds visible when they'd rendezvoused on Tishnor had been enough to make her ill. Even the colonel had blanched at the severity of his injuries, and the hideous mistreatment they suggested. Their friend had obviously survived torture that would have killed a human.

He mumbled and his arm tightened around her. She held herself still, not wanting to wake him. It was obvious that he was asleep, not meditating.  He muttered again, soft alien words spilling from between his lips. Recognizing some of them, and the signs, she shifted, rolling so that she was facing him. His brows were furrowed and dotted with sweat. His even breathing was changing pace, becoming harsh as he lost himself in the nightmare.

She raised her hand and caressed his face, whispering softly in an effort to calm him. His eyes still closed, he threaded his fingers through her hair, holding her head still. Her hair was tangled from being wet and then tousled in sleep and his fingers pulled her hair painfully. "Teal'c," she said, trying to extricate herself from his grasp He rolled, pinning her under his weight. "Teal'c," she said louder, her compassion giving way to alarm as the true helplessness of her situation sank in. Her arms were pinned between them, only her left hand capable of movement. She felt his right arm move, his fingers burying themselves into her arm.

Her eyes grew wide and she tried to push him off her but she was no match for his strength. His voice changed, growing rough and guttural. A look she could only describe as hate crossed his face, his brow furrowing and his mouth twisting into a grimace. "Teal'c!" she yelled, bucking her legs ineffectively. His eyes opened and she thought she'd finally gotten through to him.

Instead of recognition, however, she saw glittering fear. His hand left the back of her head and wrapped around her neck, squeezing tightly. She choked and gasped, as it sank in that whatever nightmare he was immersed in, he would not wake up before he killed her.

She twisted, forcing her left hand between them. He snarled at her, bitter words spilling from his mouth as she fumbled for his pouch, finally feeling the small flap of skin.

He released her throat and leaned back, trying to protect his pouch. She ignored him, pushing her hand into the refuge and ruthlessly grasping the squirming symbiote. He roared as she pulled it from him and threw it across the cave.

Gasping for air, the world gray around the edges, she tried to edge away from him, her only thought getting to her weapons several feet away. He beat her to it though, grabbing his staff weapon and arming it, aiming the device directly at her head.

She stared at the device, her eyes riveted upon its menacing head. Her heart pounding in her chest and her breath rasping through her swollen throat, all she could do was wait for him to press the trigger and end her life.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Teal'c stared at the creature cowering before him, the dim light casting her features into stark shadow. Who, what was she? She tried to kill him. Was she an assassin? Someone sent to murder him?

A memory stabbed through him, the pain enough to make him stagger.

_Blonde hair glinting in the light. A face twisted in a scowl. Laughing at his pain, smiling as he screamed. Reveling in his agony._

_'I will not be denied the satisfaction of watching him die at least once!'_

"Hataka!" he snarled, swinging the staff weapon and striking the creature, sending it to the ground in a heap. He stood over the creature and armed his staff weapon. His finger tensed on the trigger, wanting to fire but somehow unable. Angered at his weakness he disarmed his staff weapon and threw it to the ground. The world spun dizzily and he fell to his knees. He had to get away, to find safety. Somewhere where no one would harm him, where he would be cared for.

Drey'ac. His wife would always bind his wounds. He remembered that, remembered her gentle fingers and caring ways. She was not here, he knew that. He had to go find her. She would keep him safe. He needed to be safe.

Fueled by his fear, he ran, crawling out of the cave and into the swirling snow. A sanctuary was there, somewhere. He just needed to find it. And then he would be safe.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam slowly opened her eyes, pain ushering her to consciousness. Her head and body ached and she struggled to see in the dim light. Where was she? How had she gotten here? She tried to push herself up, falling back to the ground with a soft cry of pain.

Something was wrong, so very wrong. Help, she needed help. Focusing on that one idea, she crawled across the floor, fumbling for her vest. Finding the radio, she pressed the button. "No," she whispered when she heard nothing.

She looked around and realized why the radio wasn't working. A cave, she was in a cave. The radio would work better if she was outside, away from the rocks. Spying the opening, she crawled towards it, the pain of the rocks digging into her palms nothing compared throbbing of her head

Finally arriving at the cave entrance she keyed the mike, desperately hoping that someone would respond, and not quite sure what she would do if they didn't.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jack slowly paced, his eyes scanning the horizon. Where the hell were they? "Teal'c would call," Daniel said, breaking into Jack's train of thought.

"I know." He wanted to go meet them, but he really had no idea where they were beyond a general direction he'd sent them off in the day before.

The weather the previous evening had caught them all by surprise, a storm blowing up almost before Jack even realized that it was getting cloudy. He'd tried to make contact with Carter and Teal'c but the storm had interfered with their radios, so all he and Daniel had been able to do was to seek shelter themselves, doing their best to wait out the storm. Since their last plan had been to meet up at the gate, that's where they were, counting on Carter and Teal'c to remember and follow those last orders.

He rubbed his hands together, blowing to warm them. It was distinctly cooler than the previous day and he was tired from a long night feeding the fire. When the weather had turned bad, the only shelter he and Daniel had been able to find had been an overhang, one that barely had enough room for the pair of them and a small fire. "Carter? Teal'c?" he called into his radio, for the fourth time in as many minutes.

"Maybe we should call the SGC, get a UAV and—" Daniel broke off as Jack held up his hand, indicating for him to hush.

"Repeat that," Jack requested into the radio. Daniel reached for his own, pulling it close to his ear.

"Colonel?"

He heard Sam's voice, barely audible through the static. "Carter, where are you?"

"…don't know."

"Where's Teal'c?"

"Teal'c?"

Jack motioned and Daniel stepped away, putting some distance between them. "Carter, hit your beacon, we'll come after you," he ordered. Daniel pressed the receiver on his radio, changing it from audio to distress beacon. He swept it around, searching for a signal. After a few seconds he looked up, nodding. "Ok, we got ya. Stay there," he ordered. "We'll be there as soon as we can."

Jack released the mic and switched his radio to receiver as well, stepping a bit further away to help triangulate the direction. He pointed and Daniel started to walk, not failing to notice that when they joined back up, Jack's hand was on his weapon, his finger hovering close to the trigger. "Should we let the SGC know?"

Jack shook his head. "They're maybe a couple of miles away, and she didn't sound too good. We don't find them in an hour, we'll call for a UAV."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam sat in the mouth of the cave, keeping just out of reach of the piled up snow. Her head ached and she closed her eyes, a defense against the rising nausea.

Dried blood caked her head and made her neck itch. She ached all over and her throat was sore. She knew the colonel and Daniel were coming, at least that's what she hoped he'd said. Between the headache and the crackling radio, she hadn't been able to make out most of his message.

In the end, all she'd been able to do was to activate her beacon and position herself at the mouth of the cave, in the hopes that, if she passed out again, at least they stood a chance of finding her.

She leaned her head against the cave wall and regretted that her weapon was still in the cave. A part of her knew that she should go get it. She was too injured to defend herself any other way. But another part of her was desperate not to move. It hurt too much when she moved.

The colonel's words came back to her. Teal'c. Teal'c had been with her. But he wasn't now. He wouldn't have left her, especially not if he was hurt.

None of this made any sense. Unless…unless he'd left to protect her. That would do it. Or if he'd been forced to leave. What if he'd been captured?

Then time was wasting. She needed to get help. She opened her eyes and tried to stand, falling back to her knees as the world spun. Her stomach heaving, she laid down, breathing deep of the cool air, hoping that it would settle her stomach. Whenever the guys got here, she really didn't want to puke on their boots, she'd never hear the end of it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Daniel trailed behind Jack, tramping his way through the snow. It was amazing the difference a few thousand feet could make. While he and Jack had experienced a rainy and cool night, Sam and Teal'c had been trapped on a hillside and been confronted with about eight inches of snow.

"This is bizarre," Daniel said, studying the glittering landscape.

"It's colder at altitude," Jack dismissed, taking a careful step to avoid slipping on the melting snow.

"True," Daniel agreed. "It just usually takes a few thousand feet on Earth, not a few hundred." The wind was cold but he could see that the sun was melting the snow, which was just another testament to the oddity of the weather.

Jack pulled out his radio to check on the beacon and Daniel paused, squinting behind his sunglasses. "It doesn't look like anything's around here," he said, noting the pristine snow.

"Well, Carter didn't sound too mobile," Jack said, turning a slow 360 to verify his readings. "That way," he said, pointing towards a large hill.

There were no trees, just a few low bushes dotting its surface. Daniel could see a darker shape, what he guessed to be the cave opening. "Why would they go up?" Daniel asked. "I thought the sample site was on the other side of that ridge?"

Jack shrugged. "Must have been the only shelter." He looked at his watch. "We're not overdue for another three hours. That should give us enough time to check out that cave, then make it back to the gate."

They made their way towards the cave, the lack of other signs of life starting to creep Daniel out. There were only a couple of things he could think of that could incapacitate Sam and Teal'c. It'd been less than twelve hours, and very few diseases or illnesses that struck that fast, which left either an accident or some sort of foul play.

He looked up, frowning as something caught his eye. "Jack." Something was moving by the cave.

Jack paused, pulling his binoculars out of his vest. He looked through them, studying it intently for a few seconds. "It's her," he said, putting them away.

"And?"

"All I see is her." He started forward again, doing his best to move as quickly as possible and not lose his balance. Daniel followed, his curiosity pushed aside by his concern. They made their way up the hill, slipping on the combination of melting snow and mud. By the time they reached the cave, Daniel was breathing heavily, their quick pace and the incline pushing his endurance.

"Carter?" Jack called softly when they got closer. Much to Daniel's alarm, she didn't move. He could see that she was slumped over, curled on her side. Jack knelt beside her, playing his flashlight into the cave before reaching out to check her pulse.

"Sam?" Daniel shook her shoulder, relieved when she moaned. He could easily diagnose a large, bloody contusion on the side other head was clearly the reason for her sluggishness.  She'd either had one hell of a fall or something far more sinister had gone down. "Sam?" he repeated.

"Daniel?" She slowly opened her eyes, frowning.

"Carter, where's Teal'c?" Jack asked as Daniel helped her sit up. "Carter?"

"Sir?" she muttered. Daniel looked to Jack and slowly shook his head. She might be conscious, but he wasn't quite sure her eyes were even focusing.

"Sam," Daniel said gently, grasping her chin and making her look at him. "Do you know where Teal'c is?"

She slowly shook her head, gasping and closing her eyes. "He's gone. I don't…know."

"Ok," Jack said. "Daniel, stay here."

"Jack?"

Jack motioned towards the cave and Daniel nodded. The colonel crept into the cave, returning a few minutes later with a serious expression on his face. He had two jackets in his hand a staff weapon and a pair of boots in the other. He handed one of the jackets Daniel to wrap around Sam. "Something seriously bad went down," he said. He knelt down and grabbed Sam's chin, shaking her slightly. "Carter? Carter? Come on, wake up. I need to know what happened."

Her eyes blinked sluggishly a couple of times then closed. "Jack, she's not going to be able to tell us anything," Daniel protested.

"She better or Teal'c's dead," he said bluntly. He held up the other jacket and unfolded it, revealing the pale shape of a goa'uld symbiote.

"Junior?" Daniel asked.

Jack nodded. "Teal'c's only got a few hours and she's the only person who can tell us what happened."

"She's not going to do that here," Daniel said, alarmed at Sam's condition. Dark bruises colored her throat and the side of her head was caked with blood. Her hands were scratched and torn and her breathing hitched in an alarming way.

Much to his relief, Jack nodded, agreeing. "We'll get her home then come back," he said, struggling to get the boots on Sam's feet.

Daniel nodded and moved, positioning himself to pull Sam to her feet. Once she was up, he wrapped her arm around his shoulders and wrapped his own arm around her waist. They slowly started back down the hill, Daniel's attention diverted from his concern over one friend by the need to get the other safely home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Janet walked out of the cubicle, pulling the curtain shut behind her. Noting the two men waiting in the corridor, she motioned them into her office. "Doc?" Colonel O'Neill asked. Both he and Daniel were still in their fatigues and gear although she knew both of them had surrendered their weapons to the armory officer.

"She'll be fine, sir," she reassured them, moving behind her desk. "She's got a concussion, some cuts and bruises." She sighed and looked down at the chart in her hands before looking up. "It took ten stitches to sew up the cut on her head.

"I found Teal'c's staff weapon in the cave. It had blood on it."

"That would do it," Janet said, slightly disgusted that she could be so blasé when discussing a friend's injuries. However, at this precise moment in time, Sam wasn't her friend, she was a patient.

"What about Junior?" Jack asked.

"He's stable," she said. "We're using the same techniques we did the last time he was removed from Teal'c. Even still, we just have a few hours, maybe a day or so before he dies."

"SG-6 and three are looking for him right now and Hammond's gonna send up a UAV in a few minutes."

"I sincerely doubt he got very far from the cave where you found Sam," Janet said. "A Jaffa's strength almost immediately starts to fade once the symbiote is removed. Chances are the search team will find him unconscious. We'll just have to hope that they can get him back here before it's too late."

"What about Sam?" Daniel asked. "She was pretty out of it when we found her," Daniel said, frowning.

"That's because she was mildly hypothermic," Janet explained. "You add that to the concussion and you get confusion. She'll be ok in a few days, although it'll be a couple of weeks before she's back on duty."

"We need to talk to her," Jack said. "Teal'c is missing and Carter's the only person that can give us a clue as to what happened. If there's something on that planet that can take out a Jaffa and an Air Force officer, the search teams need to know about it."

Janet shook her head. "I'm sorry, sir. She's asleep right now, and probably will be for several more hours."

"Did she say anything?" Daniel pressed.

"No, sorry," she apologized. "I can tell you that something happened. She has bruises around her neck that suggests that someone tried to strangle her. That could also account for some of her confusion."

Jack nodded, sighing as he scrubbed his hand over his face. "Ok. We're going to go back and join SG-6 and look for Teal'c. If she wakes up and tells you anything important, have Reynolds call us," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," she said.

He nodded and left, Daniel following him out of her office. Shaking her head slightly, Janet went back to her patient, hoping that she wasn't going to be getting any more new admissions in the near future.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam sat up in the bed, her fingers wrapped around a mug of weak tea. It wasn't her usual choice of beverage but right now, she didn't care, as long as it was hot. The warmth from the tea soothed her sore hands and she knew that whatever had been in Janet's magical syringe was one reason she was relatively comfortable at the moment. Comfortable yes, but she was still cold. She had two blankets piled on top of her and another over her shoulders and they still weren't enough to warm her up.

She heard footsteps coming down the hall and she craned her neck, slumping back when she saw that it was just Colonel Edwards. What was taking them so long?

According to Janet, she'd slept for about six hours after they'd brought her back, and she'd been awake for three. Which meant that they'd been searching for Teal'c for nine hours.

They should have found him by now. The planet wasn't THAT big.

She still couldn't figure out what had happened to him. It didn't feel right that he'd left her, especially since she'd been hurt.

"Carter?" The colonel's voice caused her to turn her head quickly, an action she regretted as it set her barely-under-control headache back on its way to being out of control. "You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah," she muttered, closing her eyes for a second. "Teal'c?"

"No," he said softly, dragging a chair over to her bedside. He flipped it, straddling the chair and propping his arms on the back.

"We couldn't even find tracks," Daniel said, sitting at the foot of her bed. "We walked about ten miles. The UAV searched twice that. SG-6 is still there."

"That doesn't make any sense," Sam said. "Where would he go?"

"Do you remember anything?" Jack pressed.

Sam slowly shook her head. "I've been trying. All I can remember is us taking shelter in the cave. We couldn't build a fire, so we shared blankets and went to sleep. The next thing I knew, I was waking up on the floor of the cave with one hell of a headache."

"And nothing else?" Daniel asked. "No footprints, no noise?"

"Nothing, Daniel."

"Someone left some impressive bruises on your neck," Jack said. "You slept through that?"

Sam's hand self-consciously went to her neck. She knew she had some livid bruises, dark enough that she could make out individual fingers. How had she slept through that? It didn't seem possible. Something must have happened, something to incapacitate her, leaving Teal'c on his own. He wouldn't have left her behind, she knew that in her heart. Which meant he'd been taken. Something had happened to him and he'd been taken, maybe even killed. They were a team, they were supposed to take care of each other and she'd let him down. She'd left him to fight whatever he'd fought all alone.

"Carter?" Jack gently shook her arm and she blinked, shaking her head.

"I guess I did," she muttered.

"What?"

"I guess I slept through it," she whispered, the enormity of her failing settling upon her.

"Sam?" Daniel leaned forward.

"My head hurts, Daniel. Sir," she said, setting the now cool mug aside. "I think I'm gonna lay down for a little bit." She scooted in the bed, moving so that she could lay down, deliberately turning her back on them. She sensed them staying there for a few minutes, probably doing that silent communication thing that they did so well. Finally, she felt the bed shift as Daniel stood up, followed by the squeak of the colonel leaving his chair. They both walked away and she laid there, her eyes staring sightlessly at the far wall.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Colonel Reynolds led his team through the forest, unable to totally banish the uneasy feeling that was creeping up and down his spine.  "Murphy?" he asked his point man.

"The heat signature the UAV picked up should be somewhere around here," the man reported.

"Keep your eyes open," he instructed his team. "And don't forget, there's a good chance he could be unconscious. Don't go expecting him to call for help."

"Did the UAV pick up anything else?" Ranson asked, nervously looking behind him.

"Such as what?" Keller asked, his tone knowing.

"Just anything," Ranson said evasively.

"No monsters. No saber tooth cats, no killer giant bugs, no superlarge snakes and no vampires," Keller said, taking the chance to tease his teammate's well known love of cheesy sci-fi movies.

"I didn't say—"

Murphy held up his hand and the bickering immediately ceased, Keller and Ranson kneeling while Reynolds edged forward. Murphy gestured off a little to the right, pointing out a large area of broken branches. Reynolds nodded and motioned to his men, directing them to circle around and flank the area.

He fell behind Murphy and the two of them edged forward, their weapons held at the ready.

As they got closer, Reynolds got a good look and relaxed, recognizing the familiar black and green of the SGC uniform. With Murphy covering him, he knelt down and felt for a pulse, thinking at first that the man was dead.

His skin was cold and heavily scratched. His hands and arms were criss-crossed with shallow lacerations and his clothing was torn. It looked like to Reynolds that the Jaffa had run pell-mell through the forest, paying little heed to his direction.

"He's dead, ain't he?" Murphy asked. Despite the man's normal dark skin color, he was pale, his flesh a sickly grey-white.

"Yeah, I think…wait." Reynolds altered his position, moving his fingers tighter on the man's neck. "No, he's alive," he said. "Keller, Ranson, get your butts over here!" he called out, raising his voice. "We don't get him back to the SGC pretty soon, he will be dead."

Keller and Ranson melted out of the brush and, true to their training, took in the circumstances in mere seconds. In less than ten minutes, Teal'c was loaded up on a stretcher and the four men headed off towards the gate, each hoping that their burden would live long enough to make it home, and dreading having to tell Colonel O'Neill if he didn't.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam lingered on the edge of sleep, her eyes closed and her body resting but her mind stubbornly aware. Not only was the constant activity and noise of the infirmary keeping her from sleep, but her mind was also preoccupied trying to remember exactly what had happened in that cave.

It just didn't make sense. They hadn't seen a single sign of life on the planet, intelligent life anyway. And the fingerprints on her neck definitely hinted that whatever had attacked her had been humanoid. And it had to be something formidable. Not only was Teal'c physically strong, but he had a hundred years of experience to build on. It'd take something formidable to take him down.

It had to have been a hell of a fight. And she couldn't see how she'd missed it she never slept that deeply off world. No matter how tired she was. How had she slept through someone trying to kill her? Little things like that were known to break up a good night's sleep.

The noise level increased and she frowned, frustrated at the interruption. What good was an infirmary as a place to recuperate when you couldn't even sleep?

"Put him over there. Let's just hope that I don't have to surgically open the pouch like I did last time."

Janet's words sank in and Sam's eyes flew open. Teal'c? She pushed herself up in the bed and rolled over. Two beds over two orderlies were lifting Teal'c's stretcher onto a bed while Janet and two of her nurses bustled about.

Sam saw Daniel and the colonel hurry into the room and she pushed back the covers and slid off the edge of the bed, her toes curling when they came into contact with the chill tile.  She padded over to join the rest of her team, ignoring the colonel's frowning look. "How is he?"

He shook his head. "All SG-6 said was that he was alive," he said.

"He certainly doesn't look very good," Daniel said.

"Bring that symbiote over here," Janet said, her voice carrying across the room.

"Teal'c's tough," O'Neill said. "He'll be fine."

Sam nodded, crossing her arms across her chest as a chill slid down her spine. She rubbed one arm with her other hand as she watched Janet work. One of the nurses brought the large jar containing Junior over and set it down on a table.

Janet picked up a pair of tongs and fished for the symbiote. It writhed weakly, struggling just a bit before she captured it and pulled it out of the water. She set the goa'uld down on his chest beside the opening of his pouch and everyone stepped back, hopefully leaving the symbiote no choice but to return to his home.

There was a tense pause as she stepped back as well, leaving Teal'c and Junior alone. Much to Sam's relief, Junior began to move, slithering his way through the flaps of skin and curling himself into Teal'c's pouch.

"That's a good sign," Janet said, looking over her shoulder.

"See, told ya," O'Neill smiled.

"I'm going to thoroughly examine him and I'll let you know," she said. She pointed at Sam. "You need to get back to bed." Sam colored slightly and looked at her friends, not surprised to note a lack of sympathy in their eyes.

"Come on," Daniel said, reaching out to escort Sam back to her bed. She let him and gingerly slid up into the bed, sliding under the covers. "What are you looking so down for?" he asked.

"What?"

"Teal'c's back, he'll be fine," he listed.

"Yeah," she nodded. "It's good." She looked over at Teal'c, catching a glimpse of him just as Janet pulled the curtain shut. "It's good," she repeated, ignoring the slight feeling of unease that settled into her stomach.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Daniel walked into Jack's office and plopped down in a chair, stretching his legs out with a sigh.

Jack stared at him for a few seconds. "Comfy?" he asked, crossing his hands over a sheaf of paper lying in front of him.

Daniel yawned. "No, actually, these chairs suck." He sat up straight and leaned forward. "What do you think about fried chicken?" he asked. "I know we usually do pizza but you know, I'm getting a little sick of pizza all the time. And the advantage of the fried chicken is if she's asleep it can wait without getting ruined."

Jack shook his head. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Daniel raised his eyebrows. "Dinner for Sam," he prompted. "I just got back from taking her home. And since we both know that she keeps even less food in the house than you do, we were going to take her over some dinner."

Jack frowned. "Yeah, right, whatever," he said distractedly.

Daniel frowned, Jack's scattered attitude setting off alarm bells. While his friend may like to play the bumpkin, Daniel knew that he was anything but. "What's wrong?" he asked, knowing that there had to be a reason Jack was so distracted.

Jack looked down for a second, almost as if he was contemplating whether or not to say anything. "You didn't find any ruins did you?" Daniel raised his eyebrows. "Any signs of life and evidence of recent habitation?"

Daniel shook his head. "If there were any ruins, they were so ruined that they weren't ruins anymore. The planet's deserted, at least the area near the gate is deserted," he said. "That's why I was so bored."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, that's what I thought." He motioned towards the paper on his desk. "After SG-6 brought Teal'c back, SG-3 kept up the search."

"Why?"

"This planet's a candidate to be a secondary Alpha Site. If someone else is there, we need to know about it."

Daniel shrugged. "Maybe it was something in the air or water," he suggested.

Jack shook his head. "They've tested for that, or at least for all known substances. The simple fact that you and I were on the planet for the same time and none of the rescue teams have had any issues, suggests that whatever happened had a physical source."

"And SG-3 was looking for that physical source," Daniel intuited.

Jack nodded. "They didn't find anything."

"Well, that's good…isn't it?"

"To be the Alpha Site, yeah. Still doesn't explain Carter and Teal'c being attacked."

"The trees are pretty heavy, they could have passed us while we went back to get Sam. They had plenty of time to get through the gate without us knowing," he theorized.

Jack shrugged. "It's possible."

"But you don't think so."

"I think that every single footprint seen by every single team member has been SGC-issued," Jack said.

"What are you saying?"

Jack sighed. "I don' t know what I'm saying. Something attacked two members of my team and I'd feel a whole lot better if I could find out what it was."

"Don't suppose Orlin's back?" Daniel suggested.

"Orlin had a crush on Carter. He's hell on the appliances, but I don't think he'd hurt her."

"Ree'tou?" Daniel suggested.

"They're more the blow you to bits type."

"So what do we do? Sam still doesn't remember," Daniel said. They split up all the time, doing their best to make the most of the limited time they had to explore each planet. But right now he wished that they hadn't. At least then there'd be a chance that whatever had attacked Sam and Teal'c wouldn't be such a mystery.

"Teal'c should be waking up pretty soon. We'll see what he remembers," Jack said.

"And if he doesn't remember anything either?"

Jack sighed. "I honestly don't know. I do know that, until we solve this mystery, that planet's off limits."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam closed the door and sighed, instinctively throwing the deadbolt. She made her way into the kitchen and policed up the remains of their dinner.

She appreciated that Daniel and the colonel had gone to all the trouble to stop and pick up some chicken. She even had enough left overs to last her for a few days because they'd bought the 'three humans and a Jaffa' amount of food instead of just the 'three humans' amount.

It hadn't quite been a perfect evening, however. Something had been bugging the colonel she thought as she put the potato salad in the fridge. He'd been quiet all evening, distracted, like he was trying to figure something out.

She'd tried to ask him about it a couple of times but he'd put her off, telling her that she was off duty and that she didn't need to worry about it. Of course, that only made her worry more.

The kitchen tidied, she checked the locks and turned off the lights, retreating back to the bedroom. Technically, it was still early, just a bit past nine, but she was incredibly tired.

It took her only a few minutes to change into her pajamas, deciding to save her shower until morning, and slide into bed.

She nestled down under the covers, the soft familiarity of her own bed quickly lulling her into sleep.

_Heavy hands tightening around her neck. Fingernails digging ineffectually into calloused hands. Her lungs burning, her heart pounding in her chest. Her vision graying, dimming around the edges. She's dying, she can feel it. Feel her life draining away, smothered by cruel and unforgiving hands._

_With the last bit of her fading strength, she looks up, wanting to know the identity of her murderer. Her eyes find only darkness as he growls, bitter words falling from his lips. Curses fuel her desperate response, curses in a voice that is as familiar to her as her own. Curses that confirm the identity of her attacker._

Sam sat up with a scream, her hands going to her throat. She gasped for breath, her heart thrumming against her ribs. Her memory flooded back and her stomach turned, twisting as realization dawned. Nausea bubbled up and she frantically pushed back the covers, stumbling into the bathroom. Her dinner made a violent reappearance and she leaned against the toilet bowl, waiting for the heaves to subside.

Once she felt able, she dragged herself to her feet, rinsing out her mouth before staggering back to bed. Chills raced up and down her spine and she pulled at the quilt, wrapping it around herself. He'd tried to kill her. Teal'c had tried to kill her.

She didn't believe it, couldn't believe it. He wouldn't do that. He…she trusted him. Literally trusted him with her life and he just couldn't do that to her. It'd be like Daniel trying to hurt her. He just wouldn't…no, he had once. After 636 and Shyla. He'd thrown a tantrum in her lab. And in the asylum, after he'd been infected with the Linvris, he'd lunged at her.

Maybe that was it. Maybe Teal'c was sick. That would explain it. If he was sick, he needed help. She had to tell someone.

Spurred on by her concern for her friend, she shakily pushed away the quilt and got to her feet. Janet might still be there. She needed to talk to Janet. Janet would know what to do.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam hurried into the infirmary, slightly surprised to see the light in Janet's office still on. Even though she had made it a priority to come and see the doctor, Sam had been slightly shocked to get in her car to realize that it was nearly midnight and that she'd been asleep a couple of hours before having the dream.

Her hands were still shaking at the memory and she had a fleece jacket on, despite the fact that it was relatively warm outside. The more she thought about it, the more she knew that there had to be something wrong with her friend. Maybe there was something in the cave. He'd said that it was warm, possibly heated by geothermal energy. Maybe there was some gas in the cave. Carbon monoxide or something. Or maybe some other gas. She'd have to ask Janet about that, what gasses could have that kind of an effect on a Jaffa.

Wait, he was a Jaffa, shouldn't Junior have taken care of that? Maybe he couldn't. Maybe it affected Junior too.

"I don't give a good goddamn who signed your orders, you are NOT taking him out of here!" The colonel's voice carried down the hall and Sam stopped, wondering what could have gotten him so upset.

She cautiously approached the door and peered around the doorway. The colonel was standing there in front of Teal'c's bed, his arms crossed over his chest. Sam could see that he was still in his civilian clothes, in fact the exact same clothes he'd been wearing when he'd left her house a few hours before. Two Air Force officers stood facing him, both of them looking more than a little unsure. Sam didn't recognize them but they were wearing slightly more formal uniforms than was usually worn at the SGC. There was also two SF's standing outside the door whom she presumed to be their escorts.

"Colonel O'Neill, sir, we have our orders," one of them said.

"This is where we started this conversation. The answer was no then, it's no now," the colonel insisted. Sam caught Janet's eye and the woman glanced at the colonel before stepping out of the room and joining Sam.

"What's going on?" Sam asked, keeping her voice low.

"The NID rears its ugly head," Janet said, her voice equally low. "They're here for Teal'c."

"Why?"

Janet shook her head. "I'm not sure. This happens almost every time Teal'c gets injured. Someone from the NID offers, oh so graciously, to lend their assistance in treating him." Janet's tone was derisive.

"They can't just come and take him," Sam said. "General Hammond would never allow it."

"Yeah, well, they waited until the general was in Denver for a reception to show up, out of the blue, with orders." Sam raised her eyebrows. "Fortunately, the guards at the surface are a perceptive bunch. They called me and I called Colonel O'Neill."

"And General Hammond?"

"Probably burning up the phone lines between here and the White House," Janet said. "I just hope he gets through before the colonel starts using deadly force." Janet's wry tone made Sam smile. She knew full well that the doctor wasn't exaggerating by much. 

Janet's phone rang and the doctor hurried off, leaving Sam alone. She watched her beckon the Colonel into her office who then summoned the two officers. Regretting that she was missing out on a full press General Hammond dress down, Sam settled back against the wall to enjoy what little of the show she could see.

Within a few minutes, the two strangers left the office, their faces a mixture of rage and chagrin. Colonel O'Neill and Janet followed, the doctor's eyes twinkling in amusement. "That's two pairs of shoes I don't want to be in," O'Neill said.

"Thank you, sir," Janet said. "I appreciate you coming in. I honestly don't know if they would have listened to me much longer."

The colonel shrugged. "Any time, Doc. Remind me to look up who was on duty at the front gate tonight. I owe them a beer or something." He looked over and caught sight of Sam and stopped in his tracks. "Carter? Did Doc call you too?"

Sam stopped, all thoughts of what she was going to say fading. The NID had just left. They wanted to take Teal'c. If she told Janet what she'd remembered, then she'd be playing right into their hands. She'd be giving the NID exactly what they wanted.

Teal'c had attacked her and that would be enough to have him classified as dangerous. And then no matter how good General Hammond's connections were, they wouldn't be able to keep Teal'c here. The NID would come and take him away and…

"Sam? Janet touched her hand. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm aah, I'm fine. I aah, I just umm…I forgot something in my lab and…"

"You had to come in at O-too late to get it?" O'Neill asked, shooting her a look. "What part of not on duty do you need explained to you?"

"Yeah." Sam felt her face color. "Umm, you're right. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm just gonna…go back home and…Good night, Sir, Janet." 

Sam turned on her heel and nearly ran from the room, desperately hoping that neither of them would try to catch up with her or stop her. She was a little flustered at the moment, and she hated it when she was flustered. Her mouth had a bad habit of running away with her and saying things that were better left unsaid.

She didn't remember. That's what she'd put in her report about the…incident on the planet. She didn't remember. Plain and simple. That was her story and she was going to stick to it. It wasn't even really a lie. Her dream might have been just that, a dream. A figment of her imagination. Her subconscious mind trying to put a face on the faceless. Make sense out of nonsense. It made perfect sense, her mind didn't want to deal with some anonymous person trying to kill her so it just plugged in a face that she knew.

Arriving at the elevator she summoned the car, grateful that it appeared quickly. As soon as the door closed, she leaned against the wall, her knees seeming too weak to support her. "I don't remember," she muttered. "I don't remember. I don't remember," she repeated, thinking that if she repeated it enough times, she might actually start to believe it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Janet shut the door to her office and took an instinctive look around as was her habit before leaving for the day. Or, in this case, night.

Catching sight of Colonel O'Neill sitting beside Teal'c's bed, she made her way over to him. "Sir."

"Doc. You finally going home?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir. And I thought you were to," she said. While she was more than a little grateful that he'd responded to her call and returned to the base to deal with the two NID agents, that had been a couple of hours ago. She'd expected him to return home and try to catch a little sleep.

He shrugged. "I thought I'd check in here first."

"Sir, Teal'c might wake up before morning," she said. "But, going by the last time he lost his symbiote for a significant period, I don't expect him to regain consciousness too much before dawn.  His injuries are already healing, so we know that Junior is back on the job. By this time tomorrow I'm sure he'll be back in his own quarters and probably ready to go back to work," she said. If she had her preference, she'd like Teal'c to take a couple of days off to be sure that he had fully regained his strength. However, she also had five years of experience that told her that the Jaffa, for all his experience and practicality, lacked an honest opinion of his own strength. He would consider himself weak if he seemed to take too much time off or needed to rest too much.

If she felt that he needed to rest, she'd probably have to do what she'd done in the past, have a quiet word with General Hammond and have him put the team on stand down for a couple of days. There was more than one way to deal with a Jaffa's ego.

O'Neill nodded distractedly and she frowned. "You need to talk to him, don't you?" she asked.

"Carter still doesn't remember what happened," he answered. "And I don't like the fact that there's something on that planet that nearly killed two of my people and I don't know what it is."

"Sir, memory loss is not uncommon after a head injury."

"SG-3 and six tore the planet apart. They didn't find any signs of intelligent life," he said, looking up at her.

She shrugged. "That's not all that uncommon either. In fact, I thought you liked the empty planets."

"Something here doesn't add up, Doc," he said.

"Colonel, I'm sure there's—"

O'Neill tensed, leaning forward in the chair. "T?"

Teal'c groaned softly, his eyes blinking sluggishly. Janet moved to the other side of the bed, wrapping her fingers around Teal'c's large wrist. "Teal'c? Can you hear me?"

"I can," he said softly, turning his head to look at her. "Doctor Frasier."

"Teal'c?" O'Neill drew his attention. "How ya doing?"

"My symbiote is healing my injuries. What has transpired?"

O'Neill glanced up at Janet then back down at Teal'c. "We were kinda hoping that you could tell us."

"I do not—" Teal'c's words trailed off and Janet saw a look of contemplation cross his face. "Major Carter—"

"She's fine," Janet reassured him.

"Someone attacked you two. We found Carter in a cave. SG-3 found you about five miles away."

"We sought shelter from the storm in a cave," Teal'c said slowly.

"And?"

"I do not--" His hand drifted down to his abdomen. "My symbiote was removed."

"Colonel O'Neill and Daniel found Junior still in the cave," Janet said. "He seems to be doing fine."

"Do you remember who attacked you?" Jack repeated.

Teal'c was silent for a few minutes. "I remember light colored hair," he said, a pained look crossing his face. The EKG attached to Teal'c's chest began to beat faster, signaling some slight distress on his part.

"What?" O'Neill asked, his voice rising.

"Colonel," Janet warned, catching the look on the colonel's face. "He does need his rest."

"Ok," Jack grudgingly agreed. "Get some sleep," he said to Teal'c, patting the man on his shoulder. "We'll talk in the  morning." Janet ushered the colonel away from Teal'c's bed and towards her office. "I'm going to get Carter in here in the morning," he said.

"Sir, Teal'c's statement is hardly conclusive," Janet protested.

"I'm aware of that."

"And he's not the only victim here," she reminded. "Even if you want to dismiss the laceration on her head as accidental, you can't ignore the bruises on her neck."

"I'm aware of that too, doc. And this may be less a matter of who's guilty and more a case of who threw the first punch, but you have to look at this from my perspective. Carter doesn't remember anything. Teal'c says she attacked him. She ended up with a bump on the head and some bruises while Teal'c nearly died," he listed. "Something happened in that cave and we need to find out what it was."

"Colonel—"

"Doc, both Carter and Teal'c are on the top of the NID's shopping list," he said. "You have no idea how many favors Hammond called in to keep Teal'c here after we got him back from Apophis. And after that whole Orlin bit, hell, members of the Joint Chiefs were campaigning to get Carter reassessed."

"Really?" Janet asked. She'd known that it'd been bad, just not how bad. 

"Yeah, really. The only thing that got them off our backs was us promising a few field trips through the gate to a few of the JCS," he said. "Find me an alien influence," he requested. "Give me something or someone to blame that isn't a member of my team." He sighed and looked at his watch. "I'm going to put off officially debriefing Teal'c as long as I can. We're going to pretend that this little conversation never took place. But once I do officially talk to Teal'c, I'm figure we'll have less than twenty-four hours before the NID shows up, for Carter this time. I need something to send them packing."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Six hours later Jack was in his office, Teal'c's official statement in front of him. Fortunately he was feeling better. Unfortunately, his memories were still the same. Someone with light hair had attacked him, removing Junior. Unable to put up a sufficient resistance, Teal'c had fled, evidentially running until he'd collapsed.

"With all due respect, sir, I still don't believe it," Janet said, staring across Jack's desk.

"Jaffa don't lie," Jack said, his own feelings warring with what Teal'c had told him.

"They also think that the goa'uld possess magic," she countered.

Jack sighed. The last thing he needed right now was logic. Not until he'd had at least two more cups of coffee.  Jack could count the hours of sleep he'd had on one hand.

In one way, he regretted that Hammond was still in Denver. He would love to be able to hand this whole mess over to the old man.

But, in another way, it was a good thing that he wasn't here. The general being gone meant that Jack could – hopefully – have the freedom to get this whole mess settled on the QT.

"Sir?" Carter peeked around the edge of the door, knocking lightly on the frame. "You wanted to see me?"

Jack could see her glancing over at Janet, a frown creasing her forehead as she realized that this wasn't a social visit.

"Have a seat," Jack invited.

Sam walked in and sat in the other chair, her movements cautious and the whole way she held herself screaming insecurity and wariness. Yep, she knew something was up. She always was a perceptive person. "Sir, if this is about last night--"

"Teal'c woke up this morning," Jack interrupted her.

"Really? How is he?"

"He's fine," Jack said. "Doc says he'll be up and about in no time."

"That's great," she said, her puzzlement creeping into her eyes.

"Yeah. And he was able to tell us what happened." Jack paused, studying her expression, trying to see something in her face. Some clue that she knew more than she'd let on. He tried to see some acknowledgement of her guilt, some indication that she knew more than she let on.

She glanced over at Janet then to him, her eyes briefly meeting his before she looked away. "Well, what'd he say?"

Jack closed his eyes for a second, the trepidation in her gaze a confirmation that he didn't need. To those that didn't know her, Sam was a good liar. Usually, if she wanted to hide something, she'd technobabble them into submission.

That defense didn't work with him though. He'd experienced it enough times to know when she was spinning a yarn. And he could also see when she was playing dumb. Pretending not to know something that she knew. Which is exactly what she was doing now.

"Teal'c says you tried to kill him," Jack said bluntly.

"Wha, wha, what?" she sputtered, his accusation catching her totally off guard.

"He said the two of you were asleep. You attacked him, yanked Junior out of him and drove him out into the storm," he explained.

"I did not try to kill him," she insisted.

"That's not what he says," Jack said.

"Sam, maybe there was something on the planet that—" Frasier spoke up.

"No," Sam said, her eyes darting between the two of them.

"Carter."

"No, sir," she said loudly. "I did NOT try to kill him," she insisted, breaking eye contact with them as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Sam?" Janet leaned forward, the tone of her voice changing.

"Where did these come from then?" she challenged, pointing at the bruises on her neck.

"It could have happened when Teal'c tried to subdue you," Jack said cringing at how he sounded. Teal'c was easily twice Carter's size and probably triple her strength. Accusing her of attacking Teal'c was like accusing Frasier of taking down SG-3 without using needles. Of course, Frasier also didn't have level three hand to hand and years of experience in fighting dirty.

Sam shook her head, her lips pursed tightly and her jaw tight. Cue the infamous Carter stubbornness, Jack thought, knowing that this conversation was over. She'd clam up now and settle into a silently pissed major shooting death glares.

"Go with Doc. She's going to run some tests," he ordered. Sam glanced up at him, her eyes hard and cold. "Consider it an order. Do I have to get security?" he threatened.

"No, sir," she said tightly, her voice low and even.

Jack nodded at Frasier and the doctor got to her feet. "This won't take long," she promised, smiling slightly. Her attempts to mollify Sam failed and the woman silently left the room. Frasier looked helplessly over her shoulder before hurrying out into the hall to catch up with Sam.

Once they were gone, Jack leaned back in his chair and sighed, scrubbing his face with his hands. He was really getting too old for this crap.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Janet followed Sam into the infirmary, the woman's longer stride meaning that Janet had to almost jog to keep up with her. Sam silently picked a bed and hopped up on it, not even waiting until Janet told her to to start to unbutton her overshirt.

Puzzled by her reaction, Janet stopped, waiting a second before she moved to Sam's side. "Sam, I—"

"Do you just need blood, or do you want to do the whole thing?" she asked, still not looking at her.

"Sam, no one is blaming you," Janet said. Sam turned her head and glared, not saying a word. "Even if what Teal'c said is true, there has to be a cause. As soon as we find that out, this will all just blow over."

Much to her relief, Janet saw her friend calm a bit, the icy anger fading to resigned acceptance. "Can we just get this over with, please," she said.

Janet nodded. "We'll start with the blood test. If it's negative, then we'll move onto other things."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam sat in the chair, her eyes fixated on the far wall. Janet sat across from her, her hands resting on the chart lying on top of her desk. Out of the corner of her eye, Sam could see Janet looking up every few seconds. She'd stare for a little bit then turn her attention back to the report.

Sam ignored her. She knew what Janet wanted. She wanted to talk, to open some sort of discussion. Usually, Sam didn't mind. But not at the moment. Right now, all she wanted was to get this mess over with. Sam heard footsteps behind her and recognized the stride. She knew it was the colonel. And she knew that protocol demanded that she stand up when a superior officer entered the room. And, right at this moment, she didn't give a damn about protocol.

"Colonel," Janet greeted, getting to her feet. Sam ignored her concerned look and kept her eyes fixed on the wall. She was too pissed to care about protocol and, right at the moment, she knew if she talked to either of them, she'd lose her temper and definitely say something that she regretted.

"Doc. Carter." He sat down and Sam felt him glance over at her. "Well?" he asked, apparently forgoing chastising her for her lack of respect.

Janet sighed. "I have run every test I can think of. The only thing that showed up on the tox screen was an over the counter analgesic that I'm presuming Major Carter took for her headache. She's a little bit anemic, which is normal for her. The PET scan, CT scan and MRI all came up clean. In short sir, I can detect no medical explanation for the allegation of violence."

Despite herself, Sam glanced over at Janet, looking away when she identified apology in the doctor's eyes. It was too late for that. Logically, she knew that Janet was just doing her job. But she wasn't feeling very logical at the moment.

"Carter?" The colonel's tone required that she acknowledge him.

"Sir?" She turned her head, looking at him for the first time.

He raised his eye brows. "Do you have something to tell me?" he fished.

"Just like I put in my report, I don't remember what happened," she said. She wanted to tell them the truth, but she after Orlin still didn't feel like she could trust them. Despite all her best efforts, her feelings from a couple of months ago were still too close to the surface. When Orlin had first appeared, she'd trusted them and followed protocol. And because of it, she now had the black mark of a psychological evaluation on her record. They hadn't even tried to believe her, they'd just written her off as stressed out and slightly nutso.

If they didn't believe her then, they sure as hell wouldn't believe her now. They obviously believed Teal'c. And, just as obviously, the bruises on her neck didn't seem to matter much. Teal'c probably told them that it was self defense.

"Fine," Jack finally said. "Be that way. Hammond will be back tomorrow. You're confined to quarters until then." She looked at him, not believing his decree. "Unless you have something to tell me," he said again, his voice pleading.

"I don't remember," she said, looking him in the eyes. She couldn't tell them, not unless she wanted to risk the NID coming back for Teal'c. She got to her feet. "If you'll excuse me, sir. I'll go to my quarters. Unless you'd like me to wait for security?"

Jack sighed. "No, I don't need you to wait for security."

She left the room, fighting the urge to turn around. She couldn't tell them, not yet. General Hammond would be back tomorrow. She'd just wait until then. She'd explain it all to the general. Unless, of course, he thought she was nuts too then she'd…hell, she didn't know what she'd do. She'd just think of something.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Teal'c retreated into the privacy of his quarters, relieved to close the door behind him. He lit his candles and settled down to meditate. He was aware that Doctor Frasier was earnest in her attempts to heal his injuries, however her efforts often left something to be desired.

He settled into Kelnoreem, the state allowing his symbiote to better heal his injuries. As he meditated, his mind drifted, memories seeping from his subconscious into his conscious mind.

_Ruddy light glinting off light hair._

_Thin lips twisted into a cruel scowl._

_His tormentor, laughing while he cried, taking pleasure from his pain._

_Icy blue eyes hardened in hate._

_An unwavering hand holding a weapon, standing between him and freedom._

_A cold heart, guiding deaf ears, ignoring his wishes._

_Cold hands forcing their way into his body, violating it, tearing his symbiote from its womb._

Teal'c's eyes flew open. Sweat streamed off his chest and his heart pounded against his ribs. He grabbed his belly, relieved to feel the sluggish writhing of his symbiote. His heart sank with the implications of his dreams. It was true. There was no greater betrayal. His own friend had attempted to murder him.

Suspicion and fear swelled into his consciousness. He remembered being imprisoned by them, tortured to the brink of death. What if she was not the only one? What if they all sought his demise?

He was not safe here. He needed to get away, to find true friends, to be with those he could trust. Getting to his feet, he left his room, not caring that his candles were still burning. He would leave this place and if they would not allow him to do so peacefully, he would do so by force.

They would not be permitted to harm him again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Colonel Frank Simmons paced the briefing room, occasionally glaring into Hammond's office. The door was shut and he could only hear mumbled words of the general's conversations.

But he didn't need to hear it to have an idea what the old man was saying.  He'd probably tried the president first. Silly old George. You would think that a Texan would know better than to reveal his hold card in the first round.

The president wasn't going to answer. Frank had made sure of that. A couple favors and a case of Crown Royal and George's messages were going to be delayed for a few hours.

After he got frustrated with being stonewalled on Pennsylvania avenue, he'd try his allies on the Joint Chiefs. It was just too bad for him that those very same allies were all occupied at the moment. That had been a little harder to arrange, but it was all going to be worth it.

Frank looked at his watch. Five more minutes. He'd give old George five more minutes then he'd push his hand. He did have a plane to catch after all. And people waiting on the other end.

Frank heard footsteps and turned, not at all surprised to see O'Neill and his merry misfits climbing the stairs. No, wait, not all his misfits, only Jackson and Carter. Teal'c was missing. Frank chuckled. O'Neill probably thought if he kept Teal'c hidden away Frank would forget about him.

Silly, silly man. Did O'Neill honestly think he'd gotten where he was by forgetting little things like hostile aliens?

"Simmons, what rock did you crawl out from under?" O'Neill drawled, his stance and demeanor wary.

"Glad to see you too, O'Neill. And I see that you decided to bring the major with you."

Carter tensed and Frank didn't bother to disguise his satisfaction. It might be massively unprofessional, but he was going to enjoy having some one on one discussions with the good major. She was way too smart for her own good. And smart people vexed him--especially smart people who thought that they knew more than he did.

"We're overstocked on snake oil, so you can just keep sliming your way down the road," O'Neill said, deliberately placing himself between Frank and Carter.

Frank shook his head. Like that was going to stop him. Frank sat down in one of the chairs, casually crossing his legs. "Banter away, O'Neill. I hear that's all you're good at."

O'Neill tensed, his eyes narrowing, he took one step forward, stopping when Hammond's door opened. "Sir," he said as he and Carter stood up straight. Frank didn't bother with such formalities. The only reason Hammond hadn't been replaced yet was because of his close friendship with the President. This would all change in a few months.

"As you were," Hammond said.

"General, what the hell is he doing here?" O'Neill asked as Hammond sat down.

"Colonel Simmons has come to take custody of Teal'c," Hammond said.

O'Neill glared at him. "Ya just don't know when to stop, do you?" he asked. "I thought we had this settled yesterday."

"You did," Hammond said, shooting Simmons a glare. "And you still do."

"Then why is he here?" Jackson asked.

"I sincerely hope that you don't make a scene, Major," Frank said, looking at Carter. "I would hate to have to take you out of here in handcuffs."

The major paled, her gaze bouncing from O'Neill to Hammond.

"What the hell is he talking about?" O'Neill demanded.

"He can't take Sam with him," Jackson said.

"My orders say that I can," Frank said, sliding the piece of paper negligently across the table. O'Neill picked them up and unfolded the sheets, reading them. "Major Carter is obviously a risk to this command. Not only has she willingly harbored an alien, she also hosted one in her brain. This trauma has obviously affected her and is likely the reason that she attempted to murder her teammate—"

"Now just a damn minute—"

"She has, thus far, escaped punishment for her act of violence because you, Jack," Frank snarled the name. "Are too close to the situation to make an impartial and rational decision."

"There's nothing wrong with Sam," Jackson said.

"If there's nothing wrong with her, then why does she not remember attacking one of her teammates?" Simmons asked. He pointed at Jack. "You keep going on about how valuable Teal'c is. What an asset to this command he is. And then, someone nearly kills that asset and you do nothing more than confine her to quarters." Frank pressed, well aware that he had O'Neill and Hammond over a barrel. He'd have to talk to his contact, get the security camera recordings of this little chat.

"Something on that planet attacked both of them," Jack said.

"Something?"

"Yes, something."

Frank clapped his hands. "So an invisible enemy took down half your team."

"We didn't say it was invisible," Jackson said.

"We just haven't found it yet," Jack said.

"I'll give you this much, Jack, you still don't know when to quit," Frank said, getting to his feet. "Major, I hope you pack light, it is a small plane."

"General," she protested.

"No one is going anywhere," Hammond said. "Walter!" he yelled. Sergeant Harriman dashed up the stairs.

"Sir?"

"Get Teal'c in here," he requested.

"Sir?"

"Teal'c, have him report to the briefing room," Hammond repeated.

"I can't sir. Teal'c went off world a couple of hours ago," he reported.

Hammond turned to Jack. "Colonel?"

Jack stared. "Well, sir…"

"He said he was going to visit his wife, sir," Harriman said.

Jack snapped his fingers. "That's right," he said. "Wife. He wanted to go see Drey'ac."

"Yeah, right," Jackson said. "Drey'ac. He went to go see Drey'ac."

Frank shook his head, not even slightly amused by their obvious lies. "So he won't be here to say good bye," he said. "Major, we need to go, now."

"General," she protested again.

"Major, I'm afraid that I can't do anything at the moment," Hammond said. He glared at Frank. "For some strange reason, the President isn't available right now."

"Carter is not going to go with him," Jack said. "You know as well as I do what'll happen."

"Colonel, I may not have a choice here," Hammond said. "Colonel Simmons has one thing right. According to Teal'c, Major Carter did attack him."

"Actually, sir, my initial report may not have been entirely correct," Carter said, stepping forward.

"Major?"

"I did attack Teal'c," she said. "And I did take Junior out of him. But it was after he tried to kill me first," she said.

"That's not what you wrote in your report," Frank said, his anger growing. What the hell kind of a game was she playing?

"That's because when I wrote that report, that's what I remembered," she said.

"And you just conveniently remembered differently today," he shot back.

"As a matter of fact, yes," she said. "Ask Doctor Frasier. Temporary amnesia is quite common with concussions." She glared at Frank, her eyes glittering with defiance.

"It sounds to me like your orders are groundless," Hammond said, getting to his feet.

"Actually, it sounds like self-defense to me," Jackson said.

"Then my original orders still stand," Franks said struggling to hide his frustration. "Teal'c attacked Major Carter and his presence is a danger to all the personnel here."

"No, he's not," Jackson said.

"Doctor Jackson?"

"If he's not here then he can't be a danger to the people here," he continued.

"And since you're not going through the gate, you're not going to get your hands on him," Jack said.

"I think your business here is concluded," Hammond said. He waved for two of the SF's to come forward. "Escort Colonel Simmons the hell off my base."

Frank stared, his fists clenching and his eyes narrowing. Damn them. Damn them all. Stupid little misfits. He gathered his rage, tamping it down and wiping it from his face. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction of a response. "This isn't over, George," he said, taking one last parting shot.

"Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out," Jack said.

"Enjoy your little victory, Jack. I'll be back."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"He tried to kill you first?" Jack asked, barely waiting until Simmons was out of ear shot.

"Yes, sir," Sam whispered, looking from him to Hammond.

"Sam, why didn't you say something?" Daniel asked.

"I think don't need to hear any more of this," Hammond interrupted. "Colonel O'Neill, as soon as you get to the bottom of this, maybe you'd like to let me in on it."

"Yes, sir," Jack said, frowning at Sam.

Hammond picked up his papers and started back towards his office. He paused at the threshold and turned back. "And I want the truth this time," he requested before shutting the door.

Jack stared after him for a second before looking at Sam. "Carter?"

She paused then sighed. "I honestly didn't remember at first," she said. "It really was all a blur."

"When?" Jack asked, more than a little peeved that she'd lied to him.

"Last night, after you and Daniel left," she said. "I fell asleep and…" She shrugged. "I remembered."

"Why didn't you say something?" Daniel asked.

"You tried," Jack said, the pieces all falling into place.

Sam nodded. Daniel shook his head. "What'd I miss?"

"I tried to come in last night but when I got here the colonel was chasing away the NID. If I said that Teal'c had attacked me first, then they'd have another reason to take him with them," she explained.

"So you were going to let them take you instead?" Jack asked.

"No," she said. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

Jack sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "I am getting way too old for this crap," he muttered.

"Why would Teal'c attack you?" Daniel asked.

Sam shook her head. "I don't know. We were asleep. I woke up, he was dreaming, the next thing I knew he was trying to…" she trailed off, one hand gesturing towards her throat. She closed her eyes. "I grabbed for Junior, just like he taught me to. He dropped me. I remember hearing his staff weapon arm and then…" She opened her eyes. "The next thing I remember I was waking up and he was gone."

"Ok," Jack sighed. "You two gear up. I'm gonna go get permission from Hammond, then we're going to go get Teal'c and I'm going to get to the bottom of this whole mess."

"Umm, Jack. Sam can't—" Daniel started. Jack raised his eyebrows. "I don't think that Janet will let Sam go through the gate."

Jack sighed again. "She cleared you for light duty, right?" he asked. Sam nodded. "This is just a light little mission through the gate," he said.  Normally, he wouldn't contravene the Doc's orders – unless of course they applied to him. But something told him that the only way to get to the bottom of this mess was to get Carter and Teal'c talking to each other. And they didn't need to do it in a place filled with security cameras and over-eager ears. They needed some privacy. And the only place they'd get that would be off-world. "Go," he urged. "I'll fix it with Frasier."

The pair hurried from the room and Jack shook his head, looking over to meet Hammond's gaze. Oh yeah, this was going to be fun.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"See, I said they were Tau'ri," Tacumari said, tugging at Bra'tac's cloak.

"Indeed you did," Bra'tac agreed. "You have done well," he commended. "Now, return to your post."

The young boy ran, dashing past the three visitors as he returned to his post. While warriors guarded the chappai, they often used the young boys of the village to serve as runners, carrying word of incoming visitors to the encampment.

"Human!" Bra'tac called out, stepping forward to greet his guests.

"Bra'tac, you old coot!" O'Neill returned the greeting, reaching out to clasp Bra'tac's hand. "How's it hangin?"

"It hangs well, O'Neill. Although far more often than it should." Daniel Jackson snorted while Major Carter's face colored slightly.  "In truth, I am surprised to see you."

"I thought Teal'c was here?" O'Neill said.

"He is. However he informed me that his presence here was permanent. That he had left the service of the Tau'ri and returned to his people."

"Yeah, well, we think there's been a little misunderstanding."

Bra'tac shrugged, not surprised to hear O'Neill's words. It was merely a confirmation of his own suspicions. "Perhaps this is a topic that is best discussed in more comfortable surroundings," he invited, stepping aside and motioning for them to enter his tent.

They followed him inside and Bra'tac sat down, choosing a stool in deference to his aged legs. There once was a day when he could gracefully sink down to the ground.  However, after one hundred and thirty seven years, not even a primta could repair the ravages of time. His three guests sank down onto the many cushions that were strewn about. "So Teal'c is still here?" Daniel Jackson asked, shifting to a more comfortable position.

"Yes, he is with Drey'ac at the moment, although I do believe that their union is one that is best served by distance."

"A little hard to live with is he?" O'Neill asked.

"I am sure that is an opinion held by many mates," Bra'tac said.

"Did he tell you why he left?" Carter asked.

Bra'tac shook his head. "He would not speak in detail, and I did not ask," he answered. "However, I do believe that he was most vexed by events. He told me that he would not be returning to the Tau'ri." Bra'tac studied the three of them. "What has transpired?"

O'Neill looked to Carter, silently telling her to speak. "A couple days ago we were on a mission and we got caught by a sudden storm. Teal'c and I took shelter in a cave and we fell asleep. He woke me up dreaming and then he aah," She reached up and pulled aside the collar of the shirt she wore. "He did this."

Bra'tac frowned as he studied the dark bruises marring the woman's flesh. He had noticed them outside, yet did not speak of them as a gesture of respect. The injury obviously did not prevent her from functioning. If it did, then Bra'tac was confident that the tiny Tau'ri healer would not have permitted Carter to leave Earth. "That is most uncharacteristic."

"You could say that," O'Neill said.

"Bra'tac, do you know any reason Teal'c would try to kill Sam?" Daniel Jackson asked.

"If Teal'c desired to end your life, you would not be here now," Bra'tac said.

"Teal'c didn't just stop," Jackson said. "Sam made him stop."

Bra'tac raised his eyebrows, curious as to what a Tau'ri female had done to prevent a warrior of Teal'c's skill from killing her. He did not believe that she was deliberately telling a falsehood, however it was likely that they had misinterpreted events. "Something Teal'c taught me how to do," she said. Bra'tac looked at her again, wishing for her to express this combat method. "I took Junior out," she finally said.

Bra'tac was shocked. Such a combat technique was one that was rarely employed. In fact, amongst some Jaffa, such an invasion was the greatest taboo. Attacking a Jaffa's primta was the equivalent of taking advantage of the vulnerability of one's genitalia. A maneuver that was reserved for only the most desperate times.

"I see," Bra'tac finally said, aware that they were expecting a response.

"If she hadn't have done that, he woulda killed her," O'Neill defended. "As it is, he cracked her head open."

"Bra'tac, do you know of anything that would make him do this?" Carter asked. "When he woke up he… it was almost like he never really woke up. His voice, everything was like he hated me. Before he hit me with it he was going to blow my head off with his staff weapon."

"That is…most unexpected behavior," Bra'tac said.

"We need to talk to him," Jackson said. "There has to be something wrong."

"Did he say anything to you?" Bra'tac asked, his puzzlement growing. The Tau'ri were as good as blood kin to Teal'c. He would die before he harmed one of them. And he would never seek to harm his friends.

"All he said that he remembered was that someone with light hair attacked him," O'Neill said.

Bra'tac frowned, the Tau'ri's words stirring a memory. Light hair was a rarity among his kind. Especially hair as light as Major Carter's. "Wait here," he ordered, getting to his feet.

He stepped outside the tent and one of the boys, sending him on an errand. He returned to the tent, regaining his seat. He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "You do remember that Teal'c partook in the Rite of Malsharee just a short time ago," he said.

"How could we forget?"

Bra'tac ignored O'Neill's question. "As part of that rite, we sought to revive many of Teal'c's memories, to use his past to clarify his future."

"I remember that," Jackson said.

"Yeah, there was a lot of fabric involved," O'Neill said. "I still don't see what this has to do with Teal'c trying to kill Carter."

The tent flap opened. "Tek mate," Raknor said, stepping in. "You sought my presence?" He caught sight of the visitors. "Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter, Daniel Jackson, I had heard that you were here," he said.

"Raknor. Good to see you."

"Raknor, I seek information about the goa'uld Terok," Bra'tac said.

Raknor frowned. "Terok. He is the one who tortured Teal'c on Heru'ur's behalf," he said.

"Indeed. I wish to know, did he possess any unique physical features?" Bra'tac asked.

"His face was scarred."

"And?"

"His coloring was different. He was light of skin and possessed white hair," Rak'nor said.

"Light hair? Like Sam's," Jackson said.

"Nearly, yes," Raknor said.

"He had another flashback?" Carter asked.

"It is possible," Bra'tac said. He sighed, the weight of his failing settling on his shoulders. He should have foreseen this. "I must admit a failing," he said. "It is possible that Teal'c is still being affected by the Rite of Malsharee."

"He was dreaming," Carter said.

Bra'tac nodded. "And it is possible that his memories resurfaced as his mind slumbered."

"He thought Sam was Terok," Jackson said.

"It is likely."

"Ok, so how do we fix it?" O'Neill asked.

"I am not certain," Bra'tac said. "Teal'c is the first to have survived this rite. However, I believe that he needs to confront his memories. He must realize what is true and what is merely a dream."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Drey'ac looked up from her sewing, watching with irritation as Teal'c made his way into the tent. He glanced at her, then walked over to the fire, picking up the lid on the pot cooking there. He dipped a wooden spoon into the stew and tasted it. "This requires more pletak," he declared.

"Ry'ac likes it this way," she replied, absently holding up the pair of leggings she was mending. The tear in the fabric would be obvious, however there was little she could do about that. The leggings were less than a winter old and she refused to declare them unwearable. Her son was already growing faster than she could procure clothing for him.

"Kaba stew should fire the tongue," Teal'c insisted. He started to rummage around, looking for her spices.

Annoyed, Drey'ac set aside her mending and got to her feet. She stalked across the tent and yanked her spice bag from his grasp. "Ry'ac does not like spicy food," she said, glaring at him

"Ry'ac is nearly a man and should learn to eat like one," he said, reaching for the bag.

She pulled it from his grasp. "Do not presume to tell me what my son should eat!"

"Your son—"

"Yes, my son. Who raised him while you were off fighting a false god? Who witnessed his first steps? Who heard his first words?" Her angry questions spilled from her mouth. She did not care if he was her husband or if it was inappropriate for her to speak to him in such a manner. She was tired of his attitude, tired of his short temper and petulant manner.

"I am his father—" Teal'c's eyes glittered with anger.

"You did little more than to provide the seed—"

"Drey'ac."

A familiar voice broke into their argument and Drey'ac turned, surprised to see Bra'tac and Teal'c's Tau'ri friends standing just inside the opening of the tent. Teal'c growled, his hands clenching into fists. "How dare you bring these hassaks into my presence?"

"How dare YOU speak to guests in my home in such a manner?" Drey'ac questioned loudly, moving to step in front of Teal'c. "Please, forgive the insult," she said. "Teal'c has been most…trying these past few days."

"You don't say?" O'Neill said, his tone light but the expression in his eyes dark and shadowed. "Teal'c, we need to talk—"

"Do not speak to me!" Teal'c interrupted, pushing past her, his fury evident. Drey'ac could not remember ever seeing him this angry.

In one smooth movement, Bra'tac raised his arm and fired a zatnikatel. Teal'c cried out, then fell, narrowly missing the fire.

"Now, what'd you do that for?" O'Neill asked, glaring at Bra'tac.

"I have little patience for such childish displays," Bra'tac declared. "And do not deny that you wished to do the same." 

O'Neill shrugged. "I've also had the odd fantasy about wringing Daniel's neck but you don't see me doing it."

Doctor Jackson glared at O'Neill before rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "Would someone like to tell me what is going on?" Drey'ac asked, stepping around Teal'c.

"We think that Teal'c is having a bit of a …complication from the Rite of Malsharee," Major Carter said, moving further into the tent.

"What kind of complication?" Drey'ac asked, concern now overriding her anger. She did not resent the fact that her husband was unconscious, however she also did not appreciate the bringing of weapons and violence into her home.

"I believe that, while Teal'c's heart is pure, his mind has become confused. The past and present mingle in a most disturbing way," Bra'tac said.

"Would that explain why he has been acting in a most difficult manner?"

"We think so," Major Carter said.

"And how do you plan to fix this complication?"

"With kresa root," Bra'tac said. Drey'ac stared, taken aback by his words.

"What's this root thing?" O'Neill asked.

"It is a substance some of our priests use," Drey'ac said. "The foolish ones."

"It permits them to exceed the limits of Kelnoreem and allows them to free their minds and, sometimes, venture beyond their bodies," Bra'tac explained.

"LSD?" O'Neill asked, turning to Doctor Jackson.

"Sounds more like peyote," he said. "Drug induced hallucinations are actually quite common amongst many native tribes."

"Whatever it is, it has to be pretty powerful," Carter said. "Otherwise his symbiote would negate any effects."

"It is," Bra'tac said. He looked over his shoulder, relief crossing his face as Raknor entered the tent, a small pouch in his hands.

"Assaria wishes for me to tell you that his debt to you is repaid," he said, handing over the pouch.

Bra'tac grunted and took the pouch, opening it to examine the kresa. He knelt beside Teal'c and opened his mouth, turning the pouch inside out to place the kresa under Teal'c's tongue without touching it.

"What's this stuff gonna do?" O'Neill asked.

"It lowers the mental barriers a Jaffa is taught as a youth," Raknor said. "They are more open to suggestion an addition to freeing their minds to explore other possibilities."

"Hypnosis," Jackson said. "We have something similar. We use it to access memories or the like."

"Yes," Bra'tac agreed.

"How long until it takes effect?" Jackson asked.

"The effects are almost immediate." Bra'tac reached over and grabbed Teal'c's chin, shaking his head. "Teal'c!" Teal'c blinked groggily, his eyes heavy. "Are you aware of your location?" Bra'tac asked.

"I do—" Teal'c frowned. "Where am I?"

"You are on Heru'ur's ship," Raknor said, moving to kneel at Teal'c's side. "He captured you on Chulak."

"YOU!" Teal'c interrupted, glaring at Raknor with hatefilled eyes. "You betrayed me."

"I did," Raknor agreed. "I delivered you to Heru'ur. His interrogator's name was Terok. Do you remember him?"

"HATAKA! MAKA SHAN!" Drey'ac blanched, not used to hearing such language from her husband.

"Do you remember what happened to him?" Raknor asked, ignoring the insult.

Teal'c frowned, his anger fading. "He was killing me," he whispered.

"Yes. He was angry that he could not break you. He wanted to make you suffer, to kill you at least once before Heru'ur gave you to Apophis." Teal'c's face contorted, twisting in pain. "I struck him," Raknor continued. "I made him stop. Do you remember Teal'c? I made him stop and I dragged him to the rings. I sent him to Apophis in your stead. Do you remember?" Raknor demanded, shaking Teal'c.

"A deathglider," Teal'c whispered. "We fled—"

"Third moon of Tishnor," O'Neill said. "We RV'd with you there. Took you and Raknor back to Earth."

"Jacob healed the worst of your injuries," Jackson said.

Teal'c looked from one to the other, his brow furrowing as he struggled through his confusion. "Terok is dead," Bra'tac said.

Teal'c stared. "You…you received word. Apophis tortured him for several days, then had him killed."

"Yes. We drank to his demise."

"I re--No. No, he was there."

"He was where?"

"He tried—" Teal'c's breathing quickened and his eyes darted wildly about. "He tried to murder me while I slept."

"You were dreaming," Carter said, speaking up for the first time. Drey'ac noticed that the others looked to her, their expressions curious. "It was a nightmare, I think." She moved forward. "Do you remember? It was so cold. We shared a blanket." She knelt beside him and reached out to touch him. Drey'ac could see that her hand was shaking. "You wouldn't wake up," she said, her voice low.

Teal'c shook his head. "Terok—"

"Terok is dead," Bra'tac said. "He has been for months."

"Terok was—he was there!" Teal'c insisted.

"It was me," Carter said. "You thought that…Teal'c, you thought I was Terok."

Teal'c stared at her for a second, shaking his head slightly. "No. I—" He held up his hand, his fingers clenching. "I remember his throat in my grasp. He was weak. He could not break free."

"No, I couldn't."

"But you—you were not—" He lunged at her and she recoiled as both Jackson and O'Neill stepped forward. Teal'c pulled back the collar of her jacket, revealing dark bruises. "I harmed you." She nodded. "Terok?"

"He's dead," she repeated.

Teal'c stared, comprehension and horror warring for supremacy. He awkwardly pushed himself to his feet, not noticing or maybe not caring when Carter fell backwards.

He hurried from the tent, leaving his friends behind. "A light dawns," O'Neill said.

"Ya think?" Jackson asked, moving to help Carter to her feet.

"The fog has lifted from his mind," Bra'tac said, also getting to his feet.

"I should—"

"Sir," Carter interrupted O'Neill. He looked at her, his eyes narrowing.

"Yeah," he said after a second. "Go," he ordered.

"Thank you." She nodded at Doctor Jackson then walked past him.

"Carter?" She turned back. "You have my permission to shoot him if he's too much of an ass."

"I'll remember that, sir," she said before stepping outside.

"They're going to be a while," Jackson said.

"Yeah," O'Neill agreed. He looked to Drey'ac. "So, Drey'ac, what is this delicious smelling stuff you're cooking?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam walked through the camp, barely able to keep Teal'c's retreating back in sight. She ignored the curious glances from the other Jaffa she passed. Some she recognized but most were strangers. She saw many different tattoos and knew that it was a testament to their perseverance and desire for freedom that so many former enemies could now live in relative peace.

Teal'c  finally reached the outskirts of the encampment and Sam picked up the pace, not wanting to lose him in the thick trees. She knew that he had to know that she was following him. He had a sort of sixth sense that way. To be honest, all of them did, but her connection with Teal'c was just a bit different thanks to the naqahdah both of them had in their bodies.

"Teal'c!" she called out as they drew further and further from the trail. She wanted some privacy but sure as hell didn't feel like walking to the other side of the planet for it. "Teal'c, damnit, are you trying to piss me off?"

"You should return to the encampment," he called over his shoulder, not breaking his pace. "O'Neill does not like to be kept waiting." 

"Yeah, well I don't like having to chase you halfway across the continent," she called out, breaking into a jog. "It's hell on my headache."

He stopped abruptly, turning to face her. She saw his eyes study her, fixating on the side of her head and the barely visible stitches hidden by her hair. "I seek your forgiveness for harming you," he said.

"I almost killed both you and Junior, so I think I'm one up on you." He glared at her slightly. "Ok," she relented. "You're forgiven."

He bowed his head solemnly. "You should return to the encampment," he repeated. "Many predators live in these forests."

"Lions?" she asked. "Tigers?"

"More reminiscent of a bear," he said, his stance softening. "Major Carter, I am not returning to Earth."

"If you're worried about the NID, this whole memory thing will be more than enough to get them off your back. General Hammond will see to that."

"I am not concerned about the NID."

"Then—Teal'c." She reached out and touched his arm. "You're not leaving because of me?"

"When I came to Earth, I pledged my loyalty to O'Neill…and to you."

"And you've saved our lives more times than I can count," she interrupted.

"I nearly killed you," he said. "I remember arming my staff weapon. I remember you, kneeling on the ground, helpless." His voice was low and anguished.

"And I remember doing my best to toss the colonel through the gate room wall a few years ago," she said. "Not to mention getting a little free and loose with a hand grenade."

"You were under the influence of Jolinar of Malkshur," he said.

"And you were dealing with some pretty nasty memories," she countered. "Teal'c, I still trust you." She dug her fingers into his arm. "I'll always trust you."

"And should that trust cost you your life?"

"It's saved it more times than I can count." He raised his other hand and laid it over hers, silently acknowledging her words. "Come on," she urged. "Let's go back before the colonel comes looking for us and gets lost."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Teal'c followed Major Carter as she led the way back to the encampment, only having to correct her once when she chose the incorrect path. He was surprised that she had sought him out, and even more surprised that she appeared to bear him no ill will.

Humiliation burned deep in his gut and he was ashamed that his mind had been so weak. Many times, in his service to Apophis Teal'c had meted out torture worse than he had endured at the hands of Terok. He was disturbed at his lack of fortitude. Had his time with the Tau'ri made him weak? Was he now less of a warrior? Less of a Jaffa?

"You should have seen the look on Simmons' face when he found out that you were gone," Major Carter said, glancing over at him.

"I was not aware that Graham Simmons cared."

"Not Graham, Colonel Simmons," she clarified.

"Then I regret that I was not able to witness his vexation," he said, recalling his memories of the pompous man. "Perhaps I was remiss in not killing him when I had the chance."

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye for a few seconds before a conspiratorial look crossed her face. "I'll help you get rid of the body," she promised. He raised his eyebrows and she shrugged. "Little trip through the gate, that nice volcanic planet from last month would be perfect. He'd be ashes in about 3 minutes."

They continued back into the encampment and Teal'c was unable to ignore the attention that they drew. Some of it was because of him he knew. However some  of it was on account of Major Carter. She was an oddity to his fellow Jaffa. Not only in her coloring but in her carriage and the simple fact that she was a warrior and an equal.

They soon arrived at Drey'ac's tent and Teal'c could see O'Neill and Daniel Jackson seated outside. O'Neill had a bowl of food in his hand and Teal'c frowned as he approached, realizing what his friend was consuming.

"T, Carter!" O'Neill called out, his voice slightly muffled as he attempted to speak around the food in his mouth.

"Sam, is everything ok?" Daniel Jackson asked, studying her intently.

"It's fine, Daniel," she reassured him. She touched Teal'c's arm one last time and stepped away, claiming her own seat beside the fire.

"Teal'c, you should be ashamed. You never told me that Drey'ac was such a good cook," O'Neill complimented, shoving another spoonful of the stew into his mouth.

"You fed O'Neill Kaba stew?" Teal'c asked Drey'ac who stepped out of the tent to join them.

She shrugged. "He is our guest and expressed the desire to partake in it."

O'Neill looked up, the spoon halfway from the bowl to his mouth. "What?" he asked. Daniel Jackson shrugged and looked away. "Daniel? What am I eating?"

"I'm not…quite sure," he said.

"Teal'c?"

"Kaba stew is a traditional Jaffa dish," Teal'c said. "It is only consumed by males, usually adolescent males."

Major Carter frowned at him. "What is a Kaba?"

"It is a term referring to a certain portion of a slain animal. It is actually considered a delicacy among Jaffa."

"Yesterday, Ry'ac and Teal'c went hunting," Drey'ac said. "They slew one of the predators that live in the woods. Since it was Ry'ac's first successful hunt, he earned the honor of partaking in the stew."

An odd look crossed Daniel Jackson's face and he coughed, his hand covering his mouth. "Daniel?" O'Neill drawled.

"Teal'c, I don't suppose that Kaba's are, aah…well a aah, is this only a dish you can make when you kill a male animal?" he asked.

Major Carter started to laugh, her face coloring. "Indeed it is, Daniel Jackson."

"Oh my god," Major Carter sputtered. 

"Carter?"

"I think, Colonel, that Kaba are the Jaffa equivalent of Rocky Mountain Oysters," she said.

Daniel Jackson laughed openly as O'Neill set down the bowl, a sick look crossing his face. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?" he demanded.

"I didn't know!"

"How can you not know!"

"It will not harm you," Drey'ac said, puzzled at O'Neill's reactions. "Many males partake in Kaba stew. It is often served to new husbands on their joining night." She looked to Teal'c. "It is said to augment their vitality."

"My vitality is just fine!" O'Neill protested as Major Carter dissolved into barely muffled fits of laughter.

"That's not what I heard," Daniel Jackson muttered, earning a vicious look from O'Neill. "Look, Jack, it's….parts is parts. It's not like you really are what you eat or anything."

Fin


End file.
